Gaps in social mobility are widening

The Social Mobility Commission report published this week (see summary and links to the report below) has given a damning review as to the progress the Country has made to improve social mobility.

The Commission warns that instead of an improving picture which one might expect given two decades of policy and billions pounds of investment that the reality is gaps are widening and indeed new gaps have been created. New gaps are appearing geographically and in income groups and between generations.

The Rt Hon Alan Milburn, Chair of the Social Mobility Commission, said: If we go on like this, these divisions are set to widen, not narrow. There is a growing sense in the nation that these divisions are not sustainable, socially, economically or politically. There is hunger for change. The policies of the past have brought some progress, but many are no longer fit for purpose in our changing world. New approaches are needed if Britain is to become a fairer and more equal country.

As I read the report my heart just sank. How is it that we are living in 2017 and 30% of our young people are in poverty, with no prospect of this ending? How is it that despite billions of pounds of investment and a huge policy focus young people from poorer backgrounds will never catch up with their better off peers when it comes to academic success or earning potential?

We passionately believe that every young person has the right to progress and to fulfil their potential, young people should be given fair and equal opportunity but the belief and the reality are too far apart.

What it tells me is that we need to be working better together to do more and to do more faster. Whilst the government is in turmoil over minorities and majorities, Brexit and single markets, we need to step in and step up.

Public, private and third sector organisations need to start working better together, many of us share the same beliefs and have the same goals so better to unite and scale than be divided and fail. We need to build a country that gives equal opportunity to everyone, that looks after the vulnerable and disadvantaged and helps everyone exceed their potential.

I am proud to say that at Youth Employment UK we are doing our bit, as a not-for-profit we have committed our investment this year into improving our services for young people:

• Young Professional Membership, our free membership programme for every 14-24 year old helps boost their skills, confidence and awareness of opportunity is having a makeover, as part of our commitment to having 1 million young professionals by 2020
• We have invested in some exceptional careers content which will be freely available to anyone who can benefit from it, the careers hub will be full of impartial, inspiring, active careers content and will be online for September.
• We have just recruited a brilliant new team member to help support our Ambassadors and scale up our youth voice and peer-to-peer work
• Our collaboration with Talent Match will see the launch of the Talent Match Mark which will recognise every youth friendly employer in the Country from the 14th of July. The Mark will help young people identify the most youth friendly employers across the UK
• The work we are doing to influence government through the APPG  for Youth Employment and relationships with DWP and DfE has helped us to create a new relationship with the Cabinet Office

We intend to use our influence to encourage government to do more for young people, invest more in what is working, recognising the importance of quality and fairness and make sure that they are listening to young people as the implement much needed policies and investment.

The important work that we are doing does come at a cost and we would not be able to make the investment this year if it was not for our Community Members. Our Community Member numbers have soared as our work is reaching more people and the value we are able to give with our expertise, networking and best practice offers demonstrable value to our members.

Following this report I am personally committing to ensuring that all of our Community Members are receiving as much support from us as possible so that they can help more young people. If you want to explore what this looks likes I urge you to get in touch.

You can read the full Social Mobility Commission report here.

Main findings from the report

Early years

• child poverty has risen in the aftermath of the recession and there is currently no prospect of it ending
• early years services have become a welcome part of the education system in Britain, but despite billions of investment the attainment gap has only begun to shrink recently
• at current rates of progress, it will take 15 years before all children are school ready and 40 years before the attainment gap between poor 5 year olds and their better-off counterparts is closed

Schools

• spending on education is 50% higher than what it was in 1997 and increased for the first decade, but has fallen in the second
• despite reforms to schools and success in improving results and raising standards, two-thirds of children on free school meals do not get good GCSEs
• there has been significant progress in reducing the attainment gap between poorer pupils and their better-off classmates at primary school, but the gap increases substantially at secondary school
• there is currently no prospect of the gap between poorer and wealthier children being eliminated at either GCSE or A level
• geographical inequality amongst the poorest children in England has increased as attainment in London schools has improved far faster than the rest of the country

Young people

• progress such as the school age rising to 18, access to higher education widened and the recreation of apprenticeships should be welcomed but progress is too slow
• labour market outcomes for young people are poor – while youth unemployment has fallen, the number of young people who are NEET has barely changed
• young people’s wages have fallen 16% – taking pay to below 1997 levels
• the number of young people receiving careers advice or work experience has fallen and more new apprenticeships have gone to older workers than younger ones
• despite university access widening, retention and graduate outcomes for disadvantaged students have barely improved
• at current rates of progress, it will take 120 years before disadvantaged young people are as likely as their better-off peers to achieve A level or equivalent qualifications – in higher education, it will take 80 years before the participation gap closes

Working lives

• employment rates are the highest on record and extreme low pay has been eliminated, but 1 in 5 people in the UK are stuck on low pay – a higher proportion than other comparable nations
• wages have stagnated in real terms with living standards falling – particularly for young people
• regional inequalities have risen with London and the south moving ahead while other parts of the country fall behind – output per person in London is £43,629 compared to less than £19,000 in the North East
• the highest-paid and best-paid jobs remain deeply elitist, while some progress is being made – it is painfully slow

NEXT STEPS

• If you are a young person and would like to develop your skills for education, training and employment join our free Young Professional Membership today
• Become a Community Member and help us address some of the issues around social mobility in youth employment. Our community members also receive support and insight around policy changes and how they affect youth employment. Our Members also can attend events, webinar and access our guidance around youth friendly employment
• Access our latest CEO Webinar that took a look at the policies affecting youth employment
• Is your organisation doing its best to support all young people to progress? Apply for the Talent Match Mark today, a national mark that recognises youth friendly organisations!